Letters from our Customers – IV

“In 1998, I purchased a 36×30 ft. building kit from SteelMaster Buildings Company.  On March 1, 2003, I was working in my building on the fuel tank of my Harley Davidson, when fumes escaped out the gas tank and ignited with a kerosene heater.  I tried to extinguish the fire, but within seconds, flames were blazing 15 feet high.  I had no choice but to call 911 and watched my building burn along with my Harley Davidson.  The fire inside the building was so hot it melted and burned everything that was stored in it.  The two ends were destroyed and the fiberglass sunlight panels in the roof were demolished.  However, the steel building is still intact with minimal damage.  My wife and I were so amazed that the SteelMaster structure survived the fire.  Thank you SteelMaster for building such a durable building!”

George Rodney
Rock Hall, Maryland

We often receive letters from our customers telling us about their experience with our company and we greatly appreciate their feedback as it tells us where we are doing great and where we can improve.

Here is another letter we received from a customer that purchased a SteelMaster steel building that survived a fire.

Letters from Our Customers – III

We often receive letters from our customers telling us about their experience with our company and we greatly appreciate their feedback as it tells us where we are doing great and where we can improve.

Here is another letter we received from a couple that purchased their SteelMaster metal buildings back in the April of 2005.

“I want to let you know about how our building has been an asset to us.  It has been very useful in all of the storage we need.  We are very pleased with the quality and craftsmanship as our building from SteelMaster.  Your company was a delight to deal with on everything.  When I called, someone was always there to answer all of my questions.  I found the personnel very cooperative and polite.  The always took time to explain every detail, never in a hurry.  In my opinion you could not ask for a better company to buy your building from.  We would recommend SteelMaster Buildings and their extra value building to all.”

James & Brenda Cook,
Hillsboro, West Virginia

Letters from our Customers – II

We often receive letters from our customers telling us about their experience with our company and we greatly appreciate their feedback as it tells us where we are doing great and where we can improve.

Here is another letter we received from a customer who purchased his SteelMaster steel building back in 2001.

Hi SteelMaster,

When my building arrived and my neighbors saw the two small bundles of materials they said, “That is not enough for a 25’ x 40’ building.“  They were amazed when it finished and they saw that everything needed was there.

I have completed erecting my SteelMaster buildings, and it really looks good.  Most of the work I did myself, except for the erecting of the arches.  I had seven to help with that and that were erected in about four hours.  This is the first time I have ever tried a project of this size and I had some doubts whether I could assemble it or not.  The instructions were simple and easy to understand and I was amazed at how well everything fit together.  The building was completed without any problems.

It was a lot work involved but I enjoyed working on it, and now I have a building I am proud to own.

Letters from Our Customers Series – Part I

A few months back we started a series to share letters that we receive from our customers on a daily basis. We love hearing the feedback from them and it’s great to see how each customer puts their own touch on our steel buildings.

The first letter in our series was from Skip Keer of West Palm Beach, FL. Skip’s testimonial was great; not only did he construct his shop all by himself, but his metal buildings also withstood a 100 mph plus tornado. After reading his story, we were curious to see how Skip customized his SteelMaster. Check out the photos below that we just received from him.

Oregon Architect has an Eye for Steel Arches

There is a house in Southeast Portland, OR with an architectural element that is sure to raise a few eyebrows because stylistically, it resembles one.

Dubbed the ‘Eyebrow House’ by its owner, architect Edgar Papazian of Doon Architecture LLC, the steel arches were added during renovation to expand the second floor, which initially was a small, tube-like shaped attic/storage space.

What was Papzian’s inspiration and thought process in designing his ‘Eyebrow House’? He explains:

After the renovation, what exists on the second level that wasn’t there before? There are two new bedrooms (one master – rear and one smaller one -front), as well as a new, second bathroom.

How did you come up with the concept to utilize steel arches to achieve your objective?The idea sprang from sketches I made of the house when we first saw it. The architectural problem is one of adding dormers to a small gable-roof house, and how to do so without making the house look top-heavy [which would occur with] traditional stick-built construction. The curvature is something I came up with to make the house appear more visually streamlined and yet have livable, architectural-character space on the second level. We also were attempting to make a better visual connection from the house interior to the rear of the property through large areas of glazing. The curves I wanted were a theme that carried through a lot of the millwork and choice of plumbing fixtures. I had never used these arches before, although I’d seen them used in instances other than typical Quonset hut buildings—once at the Whitney Museum of Art in New York for a sound installation and then in Architectural Record for [Hodgdon Powder’s] office building in the Midwest that’s on the SteelMaster Buildings’ website.

How did the use of the arches add to your vision for the ultimate renovation of the house?I had looked at other types of material that would give me the curvature such as glulam beams, but the [SteelMaster] arches were visually interesting and cost-effective. I was able to work with SteelMaster to get the curvatures I required both by code and visual proportion, within strict tolerances. By exposing them on the inside and building an insulatable shell around them (stuffed with spray foam insulation getting us our code-mandated R-value), we get a cool galvanized interior finish that required no further finishing and gives an industrial, bright feel. I specified triple-glazed arch-top metal extrusion windows to complement the aesthetic of the arches, on both the front and rear facades.

How would you classify the construction process of putting the arches into place? After the minor ordeal of getting the material off the truck and onto the second level of the house and a bit of head-scratching about how the pieces were marked (and some screw-ups in initial assembly that resulted in bizarre-looking curves), my contractor figured it out, and the arches were up essentially within a day or so. We became the local neighborhood fascination.

Are you happy with the renovation as a whole?We are very happy with the renovation and think that this could be duplicable for others. As an architect I have figured out a lot of the technical structural requirements that were needed in order for the dormer system to work properly as integrated into the existing structure of a house, so this is not something that a homeowner could do without the assistance of an architect and a structural engineer. The city was able to issue a permit for the project through my ministrations and several pages of structural details

Extreme SteelMasters

SteelMaster steel buildings are known for their strength and durability even in the most extreme cases. Our metal buildings have survived hurricanes, floods, and fires making them the perfect buildings to use in hazardous environments. The photo to the left is of a steel storage building at an observatory on Frisco Peak in southwest Utah. While it may look like any other metal warehouse, the elevation of Frisco Peak is roughly 9,600 feet! Being at that high of an elevation means that this SteelMaster will have to endure high winds and extreme temperatures. Since we engineer our steel buildings to meet the wind and snow loads of their destination that won’t be a problem.

While most people won’t need a building as heavy-duty as this one, customers still want to know that their buildings will be ready for the upcoming snow that winter may bring. Below are a few photos from customers who were happy to have their metal buildings when the snow began to fall.

Congregation of People Help Raise Steel Building

When many people think of the term ‘barn raising’, it is usually preceded by the word ‘Amish’. For generations, Amish men have upheld their community’s tradition of caring and helping a neighbor in need by gathering for a day of work and socializing to build the bulk of a structure. The result of their collaboration shows that when they work together, they accomplish what no one person could do alone.

“In the spirit of the Amish, I asked some of my friends at church to help me put up the arches of my new building, so it was kind of a Roman Catholic barn raising,” says Carl Scott, who lives on a farm near Carthage, NY.

The crew worked on constructing Scott’s new steel building, which he plans to use as storage for his farm equipment. “I chose to buy a building from SteelMaster Buildings because I had the opportunity to see one of their structures near an airport in Houston, TX,” says Scott. “I talked to the owner and discovered that the building was relatively easy to put up, and afterwards, it had weathered several hurricanes with no problems.”

Although New York does not see as many hurricanes as Texas, Scott says that a strong building is crucial in his neck of the woods because of the heavy snowfall the area receives. “The arch design was something I specifically wanted because I knew that it would be able to carry the loads for the snow easily, says Scott. “My building has had four or so feet of snow piled on top of it, and it shrugged it off.”

Michelle Wickum is the director of marketing for SteelMaster Buildings and says that the arch is fundamental to all of the company’s buildings. “From the Romans to modern civilization, the arch has been an engineering and architectural marvel,” says Wickum. “SteelMaster has boldly redefined the technology for the 21st century. Both structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing, the SteelMaster arch offers a rare blend of strength, style, and simplicity, giving you endless application possibilities. As a result of arch technology, the need for bulky beams, trusses, and supports are a thing of the past.”

Scott says that he didn’t hesitate in buying his building from SteelMaster Buildings, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA. “Many other companies sell similar buildings, but I knew that a SteelMaster would do the job right,” says Scott. “I had heard others talk about the quality of the buildings as well as the company in general, so I knew they have a good reputation.”

When it came to constructing the building, he had the help of his church congregation, and he says there are three things he would like to share with people who are in the beginning stages of construction with their SteelMaster. “I suggest that the first thing they do is go to YouTube and watch all the SteelMaster videos that they can,” says Scott. “Secondly, I would get in contact with the company’s tech support before you start building, not once you are going. And lastly, I would caution them from trying to put up their building during a snowstorm—big mistake.”

According to Wickum, SteelMaster buildings are engineered for life and come with a 30-year mill-backed warranty by ArcelorMittal (NYSE MT). “Our steel buildings are also built to meet the wind loads of their destination, which is especially important to our customers who live in an area where powerful hurricanes are common,” says Wickum. “They remain maintenance free for a lifetime thanks to the company’s use of Galvalume Plus Coating which offers strength, superior corrosion resistance, and an attractive bright appearance that provides excellent heat reflectivity.”

In addition to storage buildings, SteelMaster’s steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including Garages, Workshops, Carports, Quonsets, Airplane Hangars, RV Storage, Military Buildings, Commercial Warehousing, and Industrial Storageas well as a wide variety of Custom Building applications including Athletic Facilities, Retail Stores, Churches, Bus Stops, Smoke Shacks, Doggie Dorms, and Correctional Facilities.

When a Building Steels the Scene

It was show time.

After pouring much of their creative energy into making it all as captivating as possible, which included choosing colors and textures and placement that spoke to their vision, Montie and Jayna Powell were ready for people to start arriving.

They were proud of the results and believed that the days and nights that they and others devoted to this venture were well worth it, and it was their hope that the people living in their hometown of Dumas, TX agreed.

They did, but there was one thing that captivated the audience above all else.

“It was by far the star of the show,” says Montie. “Several folks wanted to know all about it. We must have explained how it came to be 30 times.”

The Powell’s project was not a film (although they do that as well) or a play or anything that is usually associated with star power—it was their back yard, which includes a recently constructed steel Quonset hut that they have dubbed their ‘barn’.

So how did the Powell’s end up with a yard full of people ogling their flora and foliage and foray into construction?

It began with a neighbor, a woman whom the Powell’s hired to make the couple’s landscaping vision a reality by infusing a natural ‘wild’ motif into the settings of both the front and backyards.

During one of her trips to the local greenhouse and plant nursery, the Powell’s neighbor became aware of an annual event benefiting Dumas, designed to encourage those living in the community to become more engaged and proud of their yards. Excited by her latest landscaping efforts, she submitted the Powell’s for entry in the 2011 Back Yards in Bloom Tour.

They were up for the challenge.

“We hustled to complete a few tasks that had been lingering on the barn,” says Montie. “We cleaned up the back yard, chalked up the grill, filled the ice chest with refreshments, and made ready for a herd of strangers traipsing thru our yard. It went great. Lots of ‘OOOOooos and AAAahhhhs’ over the yard, but, mostly ‘WOWWWwwws’ when they saw the barn. Turns out, the Back Yards Tour was not a competition per say, but just a fun way to meet other people from our community who shared a love of interesting back yards. Though the people at the newspaper did not pick a winner, they chose only one picture to post, and it was our yard. Still, I feel as if, yes, we are the winners. And we are very happy we choose SteelMaster [for our barn].”

The genesis of their backyard building originated in 2006 when Montie and Jayna bought their home. They say they knew then that they wanted a building like the one they now have, but it wasn’t until 2009 when they set to task looking for one.

“We searched and shopped online for various types of buildings, but originally we wanted a wood frame structure,” says Montie. “We called several building companies and general contractors to request quotes for turn-key construction. The cost was way more than we expected. Then we found SteelMaster, and we liked what we read on the website. In late summer of 2009, after we called to speak to a SteelMaster representative, we were convinced that SteelMaster was the best choice. Initially it was the price, but we became more pleased as we were made aware of the benefits of the using steel, such as the strength and ease of installation and assembly.”

For more than 29 years, SteelMaster Buildings, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA has manufactured, designed, and supplied pre-fabricated arched steel structures to 40,000 customers located in every state of the United States, in 40 countries, and on seven continents around the world.

According to Michelle Wickum, who is SteelMaster Buildings’ director of marketing, strength and ease of installation and assembly work along with affordability, sustainability, and versatility to make the company’s buildings wildly popular with homeowners, entrepreneurs, architects, farmers, the U.S. military and government, NASA, and corporations.

“Whether it is a unique application for our standard metal buildings or a design that requires additional support from our design team, SteelMaster has decades of steel building experience in solving building and design challenges,” says Wickum. “Our strong yet versatile clear span building design allows us to meet the needs for a wide range of custom steel building applications. This uniquely qualifies SteelMaster to competently address all questions and concerns, and then create a custom steel building solution that will work structurally, functionally, and aesthetically.”

Although the outside of the Powell’s SteelMaster building is largely complete with tongue and groove timbers, Clinker bricks, and a broad array of items that they had collected, including various rocks brought to them by friends, the inside is a work in progress. The upstairs will ultimately contain an office area, guest bedroom, and storage space. The downstairs will be a garage, storage for their camper, truck, and motorcycles, and a small bathroom. Additionally, the barn will serve as a photo/video/music studio for the couple’s side business, PunkinMusher Productions, LLC.

Along with the help of friends, the Powell’s hired a carpenter and master brick layer to tackle building portions of their barn—but they both have spent many hours working on it as well, just the two of them.

“It was a lot of work for the two of us, but doing this together was super duper awesome,” says Jayna. “We looked forward to the late evenings of arch building. I was on the rope ladder (which we purchased online and is a definite must) on the top of our SteelMaster during construction, and Montie was underneath on the scissor lift that we rented as we needed it. There was many a night when I would be laying on top of our barn holding my wrench in place waiting on Montie to get in position. The ‘beep, beep, beep’ of the scissor lift could be heard as Montie aimlessly swirled around beneath me. I would tap on the roof and ask what he was doing. It was an awesome time. Our SteelMaster is definitely a work of art. Special thanks goes out to all of our friends that did come out to lend us a hand and to our neighbors that didn’t report us for the loud ‘beep, beep, beep’ nights.”

In addition to steel buildings like the Powell’s, SteelMaster’s steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including homes, farm buildings, garages, workshops, agricultural storage, Quonsets, airplane hangars, RV storage, roofing systems, carports, military buildings, commercial warehousing, and industrial storage as well as a wide variety of custom building applications including athletic facilities, retail stores, churches, bus stops, smoke shacks, doggie dorms, and correctional facilities.

Desert Mirage or SteelMaster Oasis?

Wikipedia defines “Oasis” as: A fertile spot in a desert where water is found.

That would pretty much sum up Dale Jones’ SteelMaster Carport on his 20 acre spread on Terlingua Ranch in Texas. Dale lives, as he describes it, “Smack dab in the middle of nowhere”. Terlingua Ranch is a planned sub-division about 80 miles south of Alpine, Texas. To be more specific, not too far from Big Ben’s National Park, which Dale adds is, “Probably the least visited tourist destination of all parks in the country”. Even though he has neighbors, some have sprawling 200 acre lots, so suffice it to say, there is no one within shouting distance. As for Dale, he enjoys the serenity and natural beauty of the area.

However, do not get us wrong. Dale Jones is an extremely congenial fellow. Even though he enjoys his privacy, he was kind enough to share his experience with SteelMaster and send us some pictures of his personal desert haven.

The way Dale saw it, “I like to go exploring when I’m not working.” He works on a Research Ship, mapping out ocean floors for NOAA charts, taking sediment samples, and gathering information from buoys adrift in the ocean. All that togetherness and being held up on a ship at sea in close quarters with friends and co-workers makes him really appreciate his down-time and solitude.

Dale said, “My land backs up to wilderness, and I love riding my motorcycle back in the unchartered territory. It’s so nice that places like this still exist in this day and age.”

Dale realized water and shelter are not just an amenity in the desert. It can mean the difference between life and death. He knew he needed a place he could get to that would always be stocked with water, could provide shelter and could withstand the storms that can whip up winds out of nowhere in excess of 100 mph. He needed a desert oasis.

While Dale had some spare time at sea, he got on-line to research shelters, covers, and carports. He said when he came across the SteelMaster website he was very impressed. After viewing the pictures and options, he knew SteelMaster was the way to go. He also enjoyed reading the personal stories about SteelMaster customers on the website blog, and looking at their pictures posted on the site. He was particularly impressed with the reliability and sturdiness of the components of the steel and metal structures. He was confident SteelMaster had their stuff together and had it going on…

Dale said, “I am so proud of my carport and the spectacular product you guys at SteelMaster have – and your customer service is just as spectacular. I admit I emailed a couple of companies, just to compare. But Greg Broderick at SteelMaster didn’t just email me, he called me back. That impressed me – big time. No one else had the professionalism and personal touch you guys have. I have to add that Greg was extremely patient with me. We went over a lot of designs, until we customized the perfect carport that would work for my specific needs.”

SteelMaster’s steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including homes, farm buildings, garages, workshops, agricultural storage, Quonsets, airplane hangars, RV storage, roofing systems, carports, military buildings, commercial warehousing, and industrial storage as well as a wide variety of custom building applications including athletic facilities, retail stores, churches, bus stops, smoke shacks, doggie dorms, and correctional facilities.

Initially, Dale wanted to construct his carport. But he knew with his hours abroad, it would take him more time than he could spend, especially without any help out in the desert. Greg came through again, and gave him the name of a contractor who had come highly recommended by another SteelMaster customer in Texas.

“I was very satisfied with Danny Forbes and his crew. I had my SteelMaster kit delivered to them. When they came to the site with some portions preassembled, it only took them two days to complete it. They did an excellent job, and I would have no reservations about recommending SteelMaster, Greg Broderick, or even Danny Forbes to anyone,” said Dale.

SteelMaster is proud to have Dale Jones as a satisfied SteelMaster customer, friend and Partner in Steel. Here’s hoping Dale always has plenty of cool water and shade in his oasis respite – and many safe and enjoyable adventures!

Featured Project: Medical Supply Storage in Haiti

While there are many features of steel arch buildings that attracted UNOPS, two of the most important qualities for a building in a relief area are security and durability. SteelMaster metal buildings offer fire resistance and the ability to withstand the worst weather conditions on the planet. All buildings meet hurricane wind ratings (up to 170 mph) and Seismic Zone IV, or Category D earthquake rating. “With our structures being the fastest to assemble using un-skilled labor and no special equipment, we can deliver a building anywhere in the world that can be assembled in half the time of conventional construction,” says Gary.

When United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) needed a steel arch building for a medical supply distribution center in Haiti, they went to CSS International Holdings to find a company that could meet their specifications. That’s when SteelMaster Buildings’ partnership with CSS began.

After several rounds of design reviews and modifications, SteelMaster’s Emergency Relief Project Manager, Gary Parker, designed a 52’W x 20’H x 65’L steel building that CSS was ready to construct for UNOPS. Once the building was manufactured, SteelMaster assisted with all of the logistics involved in getting the building to Haiti. CSS worked with local Haitians to construct the building, while SteelMaster’s team in Virginia Beach, VA served as project advisors throughout the process. Construction time took approximately 30 days from start to finish and ended with CSS getting the seal of approval by UNOPS.

Steel Building Office and Storage Facilities

Who ever said that steel buildings were just for backyard garages and workshops?  SteelMaster steel buildings are functional for a variety of applications including retail stores and office facilities.  The clear-span design of our pre-fabricated buildings allows our customers to utilize every inch of the interior space which allows our buildings to be used for almost every application!

Check out a few photos of our retail stores and office facilities…..